Screenwriter/actor Leigh Whannell is best known for his successful collaboration with longtime friend James Wan on Saw and Insidious, and the pair reunited for the upcoming horror film Insidious: Chapter Two.

Whannell continues to dabble in the horror genre, but with the new film Cooties there’s a healthy touch of humor as well. In our interview withthe writer/actor, he described the film (which started production on Monday, July 15) as a horror comedy. The story, which Whannell described as a mixture between “Dawn of the Dead and Kindergarten Cop,” centers on a food borne virus that spreads through an elementary school and inflicts the kids.

The script was penned by Whannell and Glee producer Ian Brennan, and it stars Rainn Wilson, Elijah Wood, Jack McBrayer (30 Rock). “Imagine if they made a horror episode of The Office, or if zombies started attacking Napoleon Dynamite,” said Whannell, who also stars in the film. “Tonally, it’s very dry. It’s not wacky.”

Click on the media bar to hear Whannell talk about the plot behind Cooties: